Ever gone to an EMH day while off site??

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

Anyone who stays off site ever gone to MK a day they had morning EMH for on site guests?? Is it totally not worth it and already crowded? I ask because our friends are staying off site and wanted to meet us at MK one day/morning...but we have in our schedule to go on a morning EMH day so they won't be able to get in until an hour after opening...what do you think ..thanks!

 

[Brian Noble]

I wouldn't touch an EMH day when staying offsite with a 10-foot-pole.

However, they could rent a campsite at Ft. Wilderness for the night before, and viola---they are now Resort Guests! It's a modest cost, and may be worth it to them.

 

[IDoDis]

No, even when we stayed onsite, we avoided the EMH parks. We still had plenty of time in an alternative park. One day we did go to an EMH park only because it was Star Wars Weekends and DS really wanted to try and have a light saber duel w/ Darth Vader at a certain time that day. The park was madness!

The other parks have less people and shorter lines. I'd avoid EMH park days if at all possible.

 

[MiaSRN62]

We love EMH when we stay onsite. During the summer...it's the only time to get on rides like Test Track and Soarin' because those Fast Passes run out by 1 pm. But that said, even when we do the EMH's, we exit the park by 11 am/noon because once the offsite guests start coming in on top of the EMH onsite guests, it's a madhouse.
Try and pick another day or meet up at another park later in the afternoon.

 

[Reflection]

I would not go to an EMH park when staying offsite. In fact, I would not go to an EMH park when staying onsite. I find the crowds in either scenario to be unmanageable.

I miss the e-night days of old at the Magic Kingdom. Even though there was a slight cost (around $10 if I recall correctly) for the admission/wristband, I thought it a great crowd control device. For me that was perq worth staying onsite for.

 

[dougsmom98]

We went to the EMH day once while staying off site and will never do it again. It was very depressing. The lines were already long and we felt like we were behind all day. You also miss the opening ceremonies at MK and I love seeing the train pull up. To me, Disney is too expensive and I don't want to be at a disadvantage when I go, so I really don't recommend it.

 

[Chellymouse]

I didn't know that if you were offsite you could go to EMH. I thought it was only for onsite guests. I have to agree...I miss the old E-ride days. Definitely worth the $10. DH and I could ride until we couldn't take it anymore. EMH is hit or miss....sometimes it's really crowded and other times, it was like the good old days of E-ride. Mornings are less crowded than the evenings, but the really late evenings tend to clear out after the first hour.

 

[Camno's Mama]

I wouldn't touch an EMH day when staying offsite with a 10-foot-pole.

However, they could rent a campsite at Ft. Wilderness for the night before, and viola---they are now Resort Guests! It's a modest cost, and may be worth it to them.

I thought about doing this and using it as a pool hopping day since I've heard such great things about the resort pools. Would our whole group (my two little guys, dh, db and dsil) be able to get in with me, do you think? How does it work?

 

[MiaSRN62]

I didn't know that if you were offsite you could go to EMH. I thought it was only for onsite guests. I have to agree...I miss the old E-ride days. Definitely worth the $10. DH and I could ride until we couldn't take it anymore. EMH is hit or miss....sometimes it's really crowded and other times, it was like the good old days of E-ride. Mornings are less crowded than the evenings, but the really late evenings tend to clear out after the first hour.
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Chellymouse....no, they can't go to morning EMH....but by the time they are allowed to roll in, the park gets very crowded, very early. I found that if we get to the parks asap on morning EMH (be ON the bus by 7 am), we can do anywhere from 4-7 attractions in 90 min. Once the rest of the guests from offsite start coming in (9-10 am).....forget it. That's when the "hopper" gets it's use & it's time to exit. But during the summer months, if not for morning EMH, we wouldn't get to do Soarin' or TT or SPlash, SPace Mtn etc with shorter waits or FP's. We swear by the morning EMH in the summer. We've had very good luck with them.

Now the evening EMH's are a bit different because crowds have already been in the park all day. They seem much more crowded to us. You will see offsite guests strolling around too. They are not allowed on the rides though. So alot of the crowds you see on evening EMH are not just the onsite guests. You can tell by who is wearing the wrist bands. CM's often won't make a big deal of offsiters walking around in the parks, but they are very strict about checking the wrist bands. So alot of times, the park is really crowded, but when you sift out who is really wearing a wrist band, most of the lines are not that bad for the rides/attractions especially the later you stay. We just found a way to make them work for us.

 

[Brian Noble]

Would our whole group (my two little guys, dh, db and dsil) be able to get in with me

You would need them all to be on the reservation, and so would need a room that slept six. That means only a campsite, a Value suite, a Ft. Wilderness cabin, a 2BR DVC villa, or two rooms.

FWIW, the Ft. Wilderness pool (campsites, cabin) is nothing special.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Camno's Mama : I thought about doing this and using it as a pool hopping day since I've heard such great things about the resort pools.

Unfortunately, as Brian mentioned, everyone in your party would need an ID to use the Ft Wildereness pools. And only DVC Members can pool-hop to other disney pools besides the resort you are staying at (and even we can't go to SAB at the YC/BC or the AKL pool). They do check ID's.

 

[Ozymoe]

double post...rats...hate when that happens!

 

[Ozymoe]

Anyone who stays off site ever gone to MK a day they had morning EMH for on site guests?? Is it totally not worth it and already crowded? I ask because our friends are staying off site and wanted to meet us at MK one day/morning...but we have in our schedule to go on a morning EMH day so they won't be able to get in until an hour after opening...what do you think ..thanks!

I think a number of you have missed the boat on what the OP was asking. She was wondering if her family (staying on property) went to EMH in the morning...would the park be overcrowded when her offsite friends arrived at the regular opening time. It sounds as if it would...in the summer for sure.

I stay offsite at Bonnet Creek and arrive 15-30 minutes before opening so I am already positioned at a good spot near the front of the crowd to swoop in as soon as the gates are opened. I find that the first hour after opening, even with EMH in operation, I still can get a good amount done in the first hour and a half...after that I hop to Epcot. I haven't tried this in the summer however...or Christmas Week or Easter Week because as a rule I try to avoid Disney then.

So...if your offsite friends do not have hoppers and you do...and you wish to do EMH...just plan to attend EMH and then hop to another park and meet them about two hours after the park THEY go to opens. (It will take you that long to enjoy EMH and hop)...and then you can all enjoy the day together.

 

[MiaSRN62]

I think a number of you have missed the boat on what the OP was asking. She was wondering if her family (staying on property) went to EMH in the morning...would the park be overcrowded when her offsite friends arrived at the regular opening time. It sounds as if it would...in the summer for sure.

I did address this directly in my post #4.

 

[Brian Noble]

As did I---as an offsite guest, no way---too crowded. But, you can be an "onsite guest" inexpensively.